This Major Music Festival Just Banned Plastic Straws

The push to make small changes in daily consumer habits, like recycling or forgoing plastic bags at the store, has infiltrated arenas outside people's homes. Literal arenas, in fact: Live Nation, Coachella, and Stagecoach have all announced a ban on plastic straws in conjunction with non-profit Lonely Whale's "For A Strawless Ocean" campaign. Live Nation will be offering a marine-friendly alternative made from paper, in all of their spaces across the U.S., according to Billboard.

Coachella and Stagecoach, which are both organized by Goldenvoice, have been phasing out plastic straws, and will soon be the first North American festivals to be straw free. This seems to be of special importance to organizers, as director of festival marketing for Goldenvoice, Mapi Moran, says it's the first of several other environmental initiatives coming up.

“Our new straw policy is estimated to eliminate about 300,000 plastic straws from Coachella and Stagecoach," said Moran. "We look forward to announcing similar initiatives later that go beyond just plastic straws.”

But it's no surprise—festivals have been growing as a place where people are not only connecting with music, but with their responsibility to the earth.